Maggiano’s brings Italian classics to Springfield Town Center

By Mark Heckathorn

Maggiano’s Little Italy opened at the new Springfield Town Center, formerly the Springfield Mall, on Oct. 17. This is Maggiano’s 49th restaurant and joins others in Tysons Corner and D.C.

The Springfield restaurant seats 279 in two dining rooms and the bar and another 28 on the patio. It added about 150 jobs to the area.

The pasta is cut.

Executive chef and managing partner Manny Duron and Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay (Lee) along with managing partner Todd Crisson, president Steve Provost, and the staff celebrated with a 10-foot fettuccine cutting ceremony after mall officials opened the rebuilt shopping center. The restaurant also gave the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Mid-Atlantic chapter a check for $5,081, proceeds from alcohol sales at its friends and family night earlier this month.

The restaurant will serve Maggiano’s signature dishes, such as its “Rigatoni D,” as well as rotating seasonal dishes. The kitchen also offers a new “Lighter Take” menu, featuring new preparations of classic dishes, such as chicken parmesan and fettuccine alfredo, that deliver the same flavors and generous portions with at least one-third fewer calories.

Baked ziti

Another feature Maggiano’s brings to Springfield is “On the House Classic Pastas,” which sends guests who order one of eight pastas home with a second classic pasta of their choice. Since launching this offer in 2009, Maggiano’s has given away more than 11 million classic pastas, keeping true to the thriving spirit of generosity that originated in Little Italy neighborhoods where no guest went home without leftovers in their hands.

Following the pasta-cutting ceremony, guests got to sample some of Maggiano’s classic dishes served family style, including appetizers such as crispy zucchini frittes with lemon aioli, which were delicious, calamari frittes with marinara sauce, which are tender from being soaked in buttermilk overnight, and the chopped salad with crispy prosciutto, tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado, and house dressing.

For entrees, the staff brought out plates of chicken marsala with mushrooms (that was my favorite as the meat was juicy, pounded thin, and topped with whole mushrooms); chicken picatta with capers and lemon butter (tasty but a bit dry); Taylor Street baked ziti with Italian sausage, pomodoro sauce, and a blend of Italian cheese; the Rigatoni D with herb-roasted chicken, mushrooms, marsala cream sauce, and caramelized onions, which give the dish a sweet taste; and the lighter-take fettuccine alfredo with hand-cut fettuccine, grilled chicken, asparagus, and light asiago cream sauce.

Cheesecake

Of course, as any good Italian meal should, we finished with dessert, including a decadent New York-style cheesecake with strawberries; tiramisu made from ladyfingers soaked in espresso with mascarpone cheese; and bite-size samples of Maggiano’s chocolate zuccotto cake made with Sambuca mousse.

Maggiano’s in Springfield is open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. on Sunday.

Mark Heckathorn is executive editor of DC on Heels.